June 27, 2014 11:51 AM

Ackley has handled the switch to left field well, committing no errors, though he may be baseball's least graceful outfielder. But he has still struggled
at the plate, and his batting average is plummeting.

Just look at that ERA! At 37 years old, Beimel is working on the best season of his 12-year career. He hasn't earned a run since April 26 and has only
walked five batters since then. Talk about solid pitching.

Buck doesn't have impressive numbers, but he has done exactly what he was hired to do: be a decent backup catcher. But he has struggled at the plate
lately, bringing his average down from a season-high .271.

The 13-year veteran has been tearing it up lately, settling into the leadoff spot well since being called up from Triple-A in late May. Twenty-one hits in
24 games? The M's should be pleased with Chavez.

Another rookie sensation, Elias wasn't even expected to make the team out of spring training. But with an injury-gutted roation early in the season, the
Mariners gave him a try, and he has proven to be an excellent starter on the mound.

For some reason, opposing batters have had a knack for hitting off of the left-handed sidearm hurler, but Furbush has nevertheless held his ERA below
4.00. With 24 strikeouts to just five walks, he is one of Seattle's most effective relievers.

Gillespie is an average player with average hitting numbers and average defensive skills. The 30-year-old got hot in early June, but his numbers at at the
plate have dropped since a season-high .341 average.

King Felix is on pace for the best season of his career, putting up better numbers, so far, than he did in 2010, when he won the A.L. Cy Young Award.
Hernandez is second in the A.L. in strikeouts and seems to be on a roll.

Iwakuma got a late start to the season after injuring his finger before spring training, yet returned to All-Star form when he joined the rotation in May.
He has struggled lately but remains one of Seattle's most dependable pitchers.

Jones has been a surprise rookie sensation. The speedster leads the Mariners by far with 14 stolen bases, and is averaging one hit per game. Heck, he is
ranked second among Seattle's regular starters with a .280 batting average.

The Mariners' youngest player at just 22 years old, Leone has been having a heckuva rookie season. His ERA was down to 1.19 before a poor outing June 19
in San Diego, but he has bounced back impressively.

Maurer was not good as Seattle's fifth starter early in the season, and he watched his ERA climb to 7.52 before the Mariners sent him back down to Tacoma.
The M's converted him to a reliever, and he was impressive in his return Wednesday with four strikeouts.

He was on the verge of being sent down in May, when his average dropped to .151, but Miller appears to have emerged from his slump and has been hitting
well lately. Still, he leads the Mariners in errors.

After being suspended 50 games last season in the Biogenesis scandal and showing up to spring training overweight, it's a wonder the M's even called
Montero up. He hasn't seen much game time, but does have one dinger in just 14 at-bats.

If we were only looking at the past week, Morrison would earn an A. Returning from the disabled list June 11, he has batted .324 in his past 10 games. But
he certainly struggled at the beginning of the year.

Ramirez has bounced between Tacoma and Seattle this season, filling in at the No. 5 spot of Seattle's rotation as the team waits for injured players to
return. He has shown flashes of greatness, but his command issues resulted in another demotion this past week.

A key offseason acquisition, Rodney struggled at times in April and May, yet has still managed to earn saves in 21 of his 23 opportunites. A potential
All-Star, Rodney has won over fans with his bow-and-arrow victory celebration.

The rookie saw lots of playing time in May but should be more of a bench player. Romero has seemed somewhat lost at the plate, striking out 40 times in
his 50 games, and has Seattle's lowest batting average to show for it.

Finally, Saunders has shown some solid offense to go along with his stellar defense. His averaged clined to .276 at the end of May, but he went on the
disabled list in early June with a shoulder injury.

Always dependable, Seager has asserted himself as one of Seattle's stars. His batting average jumped 18 points in the past six games, but it's still lower
than it should be for a guy who leads the team in RBIs and home runs.

Once again, Smoak has been a disappointment this season. His strong defense earns him some brownie points, and we sympathize with his current stint on the
disabled list, but Smoak has room for a lot of improvement.

The M's didn't sign him until two days before Opening Day -- and it sure turned out to be a great signing. Young came from out of nowhere to be a solid
No. 4 starter this year, after sitting 2013 out with a neck injury.

He struggled at the plate in May but has been rebounding in June, and his 11 home runs leads all American League catchers. His stellar work behind the
plate alone would be enough to earn a solid grade.

In his first year as Mariners manager, McClendon has turned the Mariners from a laughingstock to a surprise playoff contender. Somehow he has done it
despite numerous injuries to Seattle's roster, proving himself a master at manipulating a lineup. His skill at managing veterans and youngsters alike, and
ushering them in and out of the minor-league revolving door, is a huge reason Seattle is five games over .500 with a 42-37 record.

Lloyd McClendon , manager
Grade: A
In his first year as... Photo-6523835.88711 - seattlepi.com

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Jack Zduriencik, general manager

Grade: B

After five years of subpar baseball, Zduriencik's Mariners seem to have finally turned the corner. They didn't do it with Jack-Z's golden boys -- Justin
Smoak, Dustin Ackley and Michael Saunders, to name a few -- but Zduriencik has pieced together a winning team thanks to smart offseason acquisitions and a
little bit of luck. We're pleasantly surprised by the progress of his five-year-turned-seven-year plan.